Hogar de Cristo - Ciudad de Dios

Lima is normally covered by a blanket of clouds and smog. A bit like Glasgow used to be, when I was a boy. For the first time since I've been coming here we've had clear blue skies and sunshine for the past few days. Marvellous. Pacific looks even better, though not quite as bonnie as Broad Bay. But then not a lot is. eh boys? Maybe that should be one word, Broadbay? Imagine not remembering that. One word looks more familiar now that I think about it.

I've started work here in Lima and its a whole lot different to Cusco. Hogar de Cristo, now also called Ciudad de Dios (City of God)is in the San Miguel district and about 20 minutes in a taxi from my flat in Miraflores. It used to be run by the RC church until a couple of years back when they withdrew the funding and kind of abandoned the place.

Since then the staff have taken on running the place, and worked without pay for some time after funds were stopped. In poor country like Peru that is some sacrifice and some love. An organistaion called Tarpuy Songo is helping run it and is in the process of becoming an NGO. I'm a volunteer with them and work for Lidia, who runs it. She is really helpful to me and has looked sfter things for me.

I'm not sure where the funds come from now but the government does give material support with potatoes and stuff but never enough and no financial support. Its amazing the place survives; only through the dedication of its workers. To say that its thought provoking is an understatement of some proportion, but thats the best I can come up with just now.

Its a big place and there are three different communities all in the one organisation. There's the orphanage for boys, a home for elderly who have no family, and a home for younger adults with mental health problems who have been abandoned by their families or have no family and who need full time care and support. They also had to take some people from a home in Ica which was destroyed in the earthquake a couple of years back.